Decorative lights are frequently positioned about windows in businesses or homes. The lights may be permanently installed or removably attached to a support structure, which generally is a window frame. Removable light mounting arrangements are particularly used at Christmas time as a seasonal decoration. Examples of ornamental light frames attached by nails or screws can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,795,121 and 5,580,160, as well as in Des. Patent No. 403,801. U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,832 discloses a decorative light strip holder which is attached to walls or other structures by means of an adhesive. Using nails or screws to mount the light frame renders it more difficult to install and remove the lights, thus rendering this approach impractical for temporary, short term light installations. Using an adhesive tends to be messy and unsightly with each re-installation of the lights involving repeated applications of the adhesive. The use of a tacky surface in mounting the lights is limited in the number of times the lights can be installed.
Whether the decorative light installation is permanent or temporary, it is clearly desirable to allow the lights to be installed in the window regardless of the window's size. Limiting the light support structure to fit only a window of a given size requires a number of different frame sizes to accommodate the wide range of window sizes encountered in various building structures. Requiring a manufacturer to make and stock variously sized decorative light support structures or providing support structures for only a limited range of window sizes would limit the market for these products and render them commercially unattractive to manufacturers. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,357,653 and 4,995,181 disclose allegedly adjustable decorative light frames, but the adjustability of these approaches lies in cutting the frame member down to size. Obviously, once the frame members are reduced in length, they can no longer accommodate larger windows for displaying the decorative lights.
The present invention addresses the aforementioned limitations of the prior art by providing a decorative light support frame which is adjustable in size to accommodate a wide range of window dimensions and is easily installed and removed from the window frame without requiring fasteners such as nails or screws or an adhesive.